Drake: England's Greatest Seafarer

Few historians immersed themselves in their topics like best-selling, noted author Ernle Bradford. Specializing in the Mediterranean world and naval topics, Bradford was an enthusiastic sailor himself and spent almost thirty years sailing the Mediterranean, where many of his acclaimed books are set. He served in the Royal Navy during World War II, finishing as the first Lieutenant of a destroyer, and afterwards worked as an editor and correspondent for the BBC. Now, E-Reads is proud to present his engaging series of military histories to a new generation of readers. DRAKE England's Greatest Seafarer Sir Francis Drake is one of the great heroes of British exploration. Early in his career, he engaged in piracy and illegal slave trading. In 1577 he was recruited to lead an expedition around the southern tip of South America, through the Strait of Magellan and helped open new trade routes that allowed Great Britain to compete effectively with the much larger Spanish Navy and the Spanish colonies that dominated the Atlantic coast of South America. He continued across the Pacific Ocean and around the tip of Africa and home to England, becoming the first Englishman to sail around the world. Drake also played a key role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada which was threatening to invade and conquer England in 1588. Vastly outnumbered, Drake helped lead daring raids on the Armada while it was anchored in Spanish ports, destroying dozens of ships and sowing confusion and fear. Don't miss all of Ernle Bradford's titles from E-Reads: The Great Siege; Hannibal; Thermopylae; Drake; Nelson; The Mighty Hood; The Great Ship; Gibraltar; Julius Caesar, The Great Betrayal; Christopher Columbus; The Shield and the Sword; The Wind From the North; Paul the Traveler; The Journeying Moon; and The Wind Off the Island. less